Chris Plante has posted a plea over at GameSetWatch - one for bringing more global entertainment to the West (well, America specifically). His idea? Some sort of portal that will be able to showcase games from all over the world, dragging American gamers kicking and screaming into acknowledging foreign countries that are outside of East Asia. Interesting concept, and one that could theoretically be implemented right now:

I'm discussing a middle ground, not just for poverty stricken countries, but for nations that simply have trouble getting their mainstream entertainment to viewers across the globe. I've gotten worked up over the social change these games might bring, but on a smaller scale, world games will allow for our culture to experience other cultures vis-à-vis how they entertain themselves. For example, when was the last time you played a game from Yugoslavia or even Greece?

Gamers often do amazing things together. We solve petty crimes, we help one another in times of need, and we (read: Cheapy D) foster truly awesome causes, like Cheapy D.'s and Kevin Stewart's campaign to donate games to soldiers in Iraq. Why not make this world game portal work?

On the other hand (and maybe it's just my accumulated bitterness about being in an area studies ghetto), I'm not sure many people care. Would people - enough people to support this sort of portal idea - be interested in games from South Africa? Certainly Chinese and Korean MMOs that are arriving in the US in ever greater numbers seem to frequently be met with a snort of derision from US gamers ('Oh god, not another one'). I like the idea in theory - giving wider access to independent media from around the world is indeed a worthy cause - but I wonder how many people would cheerfully push themselves outside of their comfort zone and give it a try, checking their condescension at the door.